The best bars in Shoreditch
I was sitting at Fitz's bar in Amsterdam when the mixologist asked why I would travel anywhere for a cocktail when I live in London of all places. And it's true, London has some of the best bars in the world. And Shoreditch bars are the heart of the capital's forward-thinking bartenders.
Shoreditch bars offer Londoners everything from bright, natural wines to unique concoctions presented by historical periods. It can be difficult to choose the best bar for you, so to make your life easier, our editors are sharing their pick of the best bars in Shoreditch.
If you're hoping to grab dinner while you're in the neighbourhood then take a look at Condé Nast Traveller's guide to the best restaurants in Shoreditch.
Nightjar
An old-favourite still has it in east London
Loveliest bar name in London. Just gorgeous. Night jar, an evening drink; nightjar, a nocturnal songbird. Having been there for the first time earlier this week – I know, I know, it has only taken me nine years to get around to visiting what many say is among the best cocktail joints in the world – I am curious to know what an actual nightjar sounds like. Not that an actual nightjar would stand a chance of being heard at Nightjar. Nightjar is the kind of bar that is usually and not altogether correctly referred to as a ‘speakeasy’ – that is, quite hard to find, small, dimly lit, with an indeterminate early-20th-century vibe.
But the speaking is by no means easy. As a matter of fact, in that low-ceilinged space, with the live music going strong (classic showtunes and jazz standards), I couldn’t hear a damn thing. Not a chirp or a pip or a chirrup or a squawk. I happened to be there with a woman who is not my wife. An old friend. She spent most of the time with her lips more or less inserted in one or other of my ears. And vice versa when it was my turn to speak. Strangers might have got the wrong impression. If only they could have heard the sweet nothings we were bellowing at one another. ‘HOW ARE THE KIDS?’ ‘WHAAAAT?’ ‘THE KIDS. HOW ARE THEY?’ ‘OH, FINE. YOUNGEST ONE NEEDS GLASSES. AND YOU? FIXED YOUR LEAKING ROOF YET?’ Quite the pair of sultry swingers. The looks on other peoples’ faces suggested to me that they were having a pleasant enough time without the benefit of conversation. Perhaps we were silly even to try.
DRINKS
The word ‘drinks’ does not do justice to these extraordinary concoctions – imaginatively conceived, painstakingly prepared and exquisitely presented. The cocktail menu is divided into four sections according to historical periods, and I doubt there is a dud drink among them. I chose something from the Pre-Prohibition section called a Tickle My Fancy (gin, Electric liqueur, pennyroyal cordial, Rinomato Bianco aperitivo, fizzy Muscat candy, freshly squeezed tangerine and lime juice). It certainly tickled mine. The element of whimsy, playfulness and theatre was irresistible.
BAR SNACKS
Drinks like these deserve better than Bombay Mix – and they get it. See burratina di Puglia with smoked aubergine; fried squid with galangal paste and lime mayonnaise; edamame hummus tostada with daikon and kimchi.
VERDICT
Sorry, would you mind saying that again? Didn’t catch the last bit.
Address: Nightjar, 129 City Road, London EC1V 1JB
Telephone: +44 20 7253 4101
Website: barnightjar.com
John CareyPassione Vino
An under-the-radar London wine bar that you won’t believe you haven’t heard of before
Sometimes in London, you find a bar that you deeply wish was in your own back garden. On Shoreditch’s Leonard Street (you know it from 2018 fire-loving opening St Leonards and quirky East London stalwart The Book Club), behind an unassuming wine shop, you’ll find Passione Vino. When we arrived just after 6pm on a sunny Thursday, this tiny store had a buzz about it, but we weren’t sure if we were in the right place – we couldn’t see a bar or seating, just floor-to-ceiling racks of distinctive wines and old-school floral wallpaper. To know to ask for a table is a true insider’s secret – the shop was co-founded by Luca Dusi in 2003, with a wine bar added a few years ago as a one-stop, one-room joint with low lighting and one long, communal table that strangers jostle for space at. And despite it being a conscious choice to not advertise this space, hungry wine drinkers came in their droves. So a second room was added downstairs, with bombastic, chintzy wallpaper and a chandelier in the form of a tree crawling up one wall and across the ceiling. Soon this room was busy every night, too – so a third was added upstairs. This is the most secret of the lot (we won’t spoil how to find it, but there’s no regular doorway), with more tables as well as comfy mid-century furniture and a members’-club-without-the-membership feel. All three spaces are lovely – we recommend the downstairs if you’re with a date (it has an intimate feel) or the top floor if you’re with a big group (you can even hire out the whole space if there’s a lot of you).
DRINKS
Don’t come here if you don’t like wine, because it’s all they sell. Other than tap water, you won’t find anything else on the menu. Like other London joints that concentrate on a particular speciality (Borough Market restaurant Padella’s superior fresh pasta and The Ned’s Champagne and Martini bar, for example), this means the menu is refined to the nth degree. There’s also no wine list – instead, the staff will ask you lots of questions about what you usually enjoy before pouring you something you might like. We were greeted with a glass of Malibràn Sottoriva Prosecco, an unrefined sparkling wine that’s low in sugar and slightly cloudy, that we were told could be drank at any time of day. It was mellow with a subtle fizz and a fruity smell. After confirming that we were up for trying some unusual wines, next came a glass of l’Erta Bianco Trebbiano from Tuscany: a white that was so deep, the colour was almost orange. Finally, we tried Solco Lambrusco dell’Emilia, a sparkling red, served cold – the kind of wine that you could drink by the bottle on a warm spring day. Luca and his staff’s knowledge is discernible without being pretentious or judgmental, and they’ll match your personal tastes effortlessly, but we recommend going with the flow and letting them guide you – you might try something you’d never usually order and find a new favourite.
FOOD
There’s a simple kitchen dishing up polished Italian takes on bar snacks. The cheese board will make any dairy lover very happy (the truffle pecorino is a standout), served with a basket of fresh, pillowy focaccia, while the smoked salmon is mellow and oaky. If you’re hiring one the spaces for an event, the kitchen can create a menu of rustic Italian dishes with a wine pairing to match.
VERDICT
There are so many bars in London that want to be what Passione Vino is – unassuming and unpretentious with a cult following and a reputation to match. Add it to your must-visit list.
By Sarah James
Address: Passione Vino, 85 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4QS
Telephone: +44 20 3487 0600
Website: passionevino.co.uk
TT Liquor
A Jack-of-all-trades cocktail lair
TT Liquor is the HQ for Alastair Tatton and Stephen Thompson's expansive cocktail project, a cottage industry of tasting, mixing and imbibing. At street level is the bottle shop, which has a whiff of Diagon Alley and the Victorian apothecary about it - wooden shelves of labelled bottles glint all around, a global library of spirits. Through the back, past mixologist classrooms (book in for a molecular or gin-based workshop) and down a flight of stairs is the bar, all bare bricks and low ceilings (six-footers beware), with illuminated alcoves containing bottles and, in one, a DJ. The building is a 19th-century police station and the former cells are now comfy spaces with leather banquettes for private get-togethers (yep, it's just the place for a lock-in).
DRINKS
Unlike the bar, drinks are easy to locate on the menu, which is divided into four eras - from Belle Epoque to Our Time: Plymouth gin to peanut punch. All are original compositions - some riffs on classic cocktails like the Oh My Darlin', a citrusy-mango take on the Sidecar and Birds and the Bees - a Bees Knees with added lavender and violets. The Alex on Safari is a real pudding of a drink, mixing Whitley Neill gin with Amarula and cacao while The Madison is a down and dirty martini made with cornichon vinegar. In the shop you can buy one of the bottles and leave it in a padlocked deposit box for return visits. Artus, the friendly Russian chap in charge, recommends a particularly lovely 20-year-old Barbadian rum, just out of reach on the fifth shelf up.
BAR SNACKS
You're right in the thick of Kingsland Road's Little Hanoi, and a Sexy Kung-Fu Fighter (Jinzu gin, kumquat, kaffir lime and bergamot with vermouth) will set you up nicely for a bowl of pho at Sông Quê.
VERDICT
Its elusive nature might deter the befuddled Shoreditch reveller but rewards the curious, fleet-footed imbiber. This is a one-stop shop for all things intoxicating, well-priced and run with oodles of charm by real aficionados.
By Rick Jordan
Address: TT Liquor, 17B Kingsland Road, London E2 8AA
Telephone: +44 20 7788 8259
Wesbite: ttliquor.co.uk
Green Room at The Curtain
The East London hangout gets a new cocktail bar
The Green Room is a feast for the eyes. This brand-new addition to the one-year-old Curtain hotel has replaced Tienda Roosteria restaurant on the ground floor (don’t worry, tacos are still available downstairs at one of Shoreditch's best restaurants, Red Rooster) and filled a void: the venue now has a much-needed (and very elegant) dedicated bar space. There are plush green velvet banquettes, gold-accented floral murals and imposing industrial-style windows and concrete floors. A neon artwork above the bar reads ‘Don’t wait for tomorrow!’ – Tracy Emin meets Latin aphorism. And if you’re seated in the midnight-blue, shell-shaped club chairs, no one will blame you for asking a staff member to snap you sitting there. This is Shoreditch cool at its best.
DRINKS
No surprise that the drinks menu here is brilliant: the hotel’s 30-year-old beverage director, Jenny Willing, launched globally-acclaimed London bar Dandelyan (now Lyaness) with Mr Lyan before masterminding the menus here. Cocktails are inspired by East London. The fragrant Sunday Service, made with Tapatio Blanco tequila, eucalyptus, pear, lemon, floral bitters and egg white (or a clever chickpea substitute for vegans) is inspired by the flower market. The Holiest Harlot is inspired by Jane Shore, King Edward IV’s very influential mistress, after whom Shoreditch is supposedly named, a tribute nicely befitting of a hotel whose management is largely female. It’s made with Scottish Braemble gin liqueur (a nod to Jenny’s home), Martini Reserva Bitter, lemon sorbet and rosé Champagne and garnished with powdered beetroot, and is both beautiful and delicious. Wines are sourced from nearby suppliers, honey is provided by East London beehives, and the wild strawberry vermouth is homemade. From vegan alternatives to locally sourced ingredients and feminist undertones, this place is a barometer of our times.
BAR SNACKS
Hungry guests will scoff the deep-fried truffle mac and cheese or spinach, Parmesan and truffle gougères (a kind of cheesy choux pastry), while crudités with smoked babaganoush, crispy kale and oysters are smart light bites. No boring breadsticks here.
THE VERDICT
From ingredients and menu through to the management, this seriously impressive operation is all about the backstory.
By Lauren Hepburn
Address: Green Room, The Curtain, 45 Curtain Road, London EC2A 3PT
Telephone:+44 20 3146 4545
Website: thecurtain.com
The Cocktail Trading Co. Brick Lane
Imaginative Shoreditch newcomer with a sense of humour
Well, we've had speakeasy bars and rooftop garage bars, bars disguised as Victorian apothecaries and bars dressed as Forties Tube stations. Here, at last, is a cocktail bar that resembles a pub. A funky pub, that is, with a dinosaur skull on the bar, framed vintage copies of Private Eye and musical caricatures on the walls, and copies of The Savoy Cocktail Book on the shelves. The Cocktail Trading Company (CTC) was founded by a trio of bartenders including Elliot Ball, who has a background in neuroscience and believes that flavour and smell are affected by what we see and hear. A Soho pop-up in 2015 led to this permanent London HQ opposite Rich Mix, with a bespoke copper still waiting in the wings for future distilling. (There's also a smaller sibling at Smithfields and an outpost in Bristol.)
DRINKS
Ask for a couple of signature drinks and you may be presented with a tin of Spam and a bag of chips. All is not what it seems. Open the tin and you'll find a palate-cleansing mouthful of ice cream; lift that to drink a fruity punch of apple brandy, cherry liquor and lemon juice. A straw buried in Chipsticks leads down to a hidden reservoir of Irish poitín (potato spirit) and vinegary peach tempranillo shrub. The pun-tastic menu - a vintage-style illustrated booklet, with puzzles in - includes original cocktail monikers such as Pept-Abysmal and Guido Forks. The pisco-based Apairoteef (geddit?) arrives with a pair of grandpa's dentures floating in it; Tom & Jerry is built on a mousetrap. For something more subtle, the Bonsai Butterfly is a floral swirl of jasmine gin, St-Germain and Champagne. Bizarrely, some classics (gimlets, etc) are served in glass coupés.
BAR SNACKS
There may be cheese toasties on the menu, and a jar of monkey nuts to crack; but otherwise stick to the cocktails with inbuilt snacks. There's hardly a shortage of restaurants nearby.
VERDICT
A funky, creative drinking den.
By Rick Jordan
Address: 68 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch, London E1
Telephone: +44 20 7427 6097
Website: thecocktailtradingco.co.uk
The Gibson
A theatrical cabinet of curiosities at the quiet end of Old Street
This pocket-sized corner bar has been fermenting original cocktail ideas for a couple of years now. Describing itself as an 'Edwardian Tardis', it was devised by Marian Beke, former head barman at London's Nightjar. Those familiar with Nightjar's cocktail list won't fall off their bar stools here: the team have taken the classic Gibson cocktail as their inspiration and created a fanciful time-travelling menu that riffs on various salt-sour combinations and blurs the lines between food and drink. It's a little ragtime, a little boulevardier, with some Alan Moore and The Sweeney thrown in for good measure. There's green-glazed tiles outside, Lalique-style black-and-gold Deco fronting and a glorious sweep of copper bar. Like Nightjar, this bar is for seated guests only, with a doorman to ensure there's space enough inside. If the mood takes you, a piano sits in one corner - though you may prefer to wait for one of the occasional jazz gigs pencilled on the Gibson's dance card.
DRINK
At some point in the early 20th century, someone threw a pickled onion into a Martini instead of an olive. The Gibson was born. If only inventing a cocktail was so simple these days. And at The Gibson, it's not. Some of the ingredients here would be ripe for parody if the resulting cocktails weren't so handsomely delicious. There's patchouli smoke, peanut butter dust and sago bubbles on the menu. A sea mushroom cooked in vermouth. Unicorn hoof-dust, phoenix egg whites? Quite possibly. Ingredients line the bar in corked bottles and bowls like the BFG's dream jars. A spin on the Boston Club cocktail is made by combining grape-skin vodka, honeycomb, chianti reduction and fig vinegar, and then ageing it all in a barrel of Parmigiano. The Courvoisier-based Hummingbird flutters over, adorned with a peacock feather, fragrant with rosehips and rose-petal confit. The Ponderosa features bourbon infused with beef jerky and baked apples. Hard to pick one single drink, but start with the signature Gibson, made with Tanqueray and pickling-spice vermouth for added umami, and then try a Gibson Girl for contrast, made with Chartreuse, balsamic-grape and parma violet jelly. Anyone can rustle up a Gibson at home, but you'd never get close to making half the concoctions here. And to think, this was once an old-school boozer where the locals sank pints of Whitbread.
BAR SNACKS
It's possible to nibble away at some of the garnishes here - Japanese radish, popping candy, shavings of choice Parmesan - but best order the steak tartare, made with prime beef from Smithfield Market across the way, the flambéed terrine or chargrilled octopus. Failing that, there's several restaurants on nearby Whitecross Street.
THE VERDICT
A cosy, creative cocktail den for knee-nudging romantics
By Rick Jordan
Address: The Gibson, 44 Old Street, London, EC1V 9AQ
Telephone: +44 20 7068 2774
Website: thegibsonbar.london
Spitalfields Bar at Hawksmoor
For serious cocktails and Art Nouveau style
This copper-and-brass bar was opened in the basement of steak restaurant Hawksmoor in 2012 by childhood friends Will Beckett and Huw Gott. They worked with interior designer Macaulay Sinclair to pack the small space with reclaimed materials (lift doors from a 1920s building were used to create one of the walls).
DRINKS
Bar manager Ali Reynolds is the current UK World Class Bartender of the Year, so the concoctions here are top-notch. He and his brilliant team mix up a tight list of just 10 cocktails, including five Desert Island Drinks, which change monthly. The November menu includes a powerful Toffee Apple Brew with cognac, whiskey and cider and an Extra! Extra! Mead All About It with gin and the-clue-is-in-the-name honey wine. On the permanent list the Hops & Glory will convert ale drinkers to hard liquor with a mash-up of hop gin and IPA syrup.
BAR SNACKS
Order down-and-dirty Canadian staple poutine, served here with chicken gravy and crispy skin over triple-cooked cheesy chips or, as this is the little brother to the upstairs meat-heavy establishment, a short-rib French dip.
VERDICT
The three intimate alcoves, which are beautifully clad in turquoise Art Nouveau tiles and lowly lit with caged brass ship lights.
By Grainne McBride
Address: Spitalfields Bar at Hawksmoor, 157b Commercial Street, Shoreditch, London E1
Telephone: +44 20 7426 4856
Website: thehawksmoor.com